


l'appel du vide.

by redhoods



Category: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Spoilers, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-17
Updated: 2013-04-17
Packaged: 2017-12-08 18:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/764680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhoods/pseuds/redhoods
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>l’appel du vide - french - “the call of the void”. the urge one feels to jump when confronted with a high place.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>It’s not the first time Dick has considered this, standing on the ledge of a building, some thirty stories up. The drop looks appealing, even though he can barely make out the street below him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	l'appel du vide.

It’s not the first time Dick has considered this, standing on the ledge of a building, some thirty stories up. The drop looks appealing, even though he can barely make out the street below him. 

His vision is too fuzzy to make it out, clouded over.

Grief, he figures.

Doesn’t actually figure, he knows it’s grief.

He thinks this might be the same building, but he can’t even remember. Just remembers the ache in his chest, almost hollow, and wanting so desperately to just step forward. It wouldn’t even take half a foot for him to walk right off the edge of the building.

To drop and not catch himself.

The first time...it was Jason. He had still been in his suit from the funeral, stifled with his tie too tight and had slipped off. No one had noticed, caught up in their own grief. And he had ended up at the top of the building, dragging the bottom of his dress shoe over the corner of the ledge.

Wally had been the one to find him. Dick hadn’t been able to see, vision blurred by tears that he refused to let fall as he stared over the side of the building and wished he weren’t such a coward that he could just jump.

But this time...this time Wally isn’t going to be there, to stand there with him until Dick finally blinked, finally looked away. Wasn’t going to be there to wrap his hand around Dick’s bicep and guide him away from the ledge and into a hug.

So Dick stands on the edge, the toes of his boots over the edge as he stares down between them towards the ground below, people shouting and car horns blaring, and thinks he should jump.

Jump and not catch himself.

But there’s someone behind him and Dick doesn’t look, doesn’t want to know who it is.

Another pair of boots come into his line of sight eventually, just on the peripheral, so Dick has to blink to make sure they’re there.

“Thinking about jumping?”

And it’s Tim. Young and serious and intelligent Tim. And observant.

Dick considers answering him, but doesn’t. It doesn’t seem to bother Tim, though, he just stays where he is, quiet and observant. 

After a while, Dick isn’t sure how long that while is, he blinks and lifts his head, looking out over the buildings, “I came here after Jason’s funeral,” he says softly and sees Tim nod out of the corner of his eye.

Tim doesn’t wrap a hand around his bicep, doesn’t pull him into a hug, because Tim isn’t Wally and Wally is gone, but Tim stays with him, moves from building to building with him and is just there.

Dick is thankful for him, cups his hand around the back of Tim’s neck, part of his jaw, just briefly, before Tim steps into the zeta. He turns, prepared to walk out of the alley, before turning back. He goes to Palo Alto and sticks to the sidewalks.

**Author's Note:**

> ouch, my poor heart.


End file.
